Re: Why people don't care about Linux

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance



"Steve Thackery" wrote:

Like the OP, I've tried loads of Linux distros (my current favourite being
Mint), and I have to agree with him.

Every single distro I've tried feels like a "box of bits" rather than a
coherent system (I'm talking about the UI, here, rather than the underlying
architecture).

Also, you really don't need to go very far below the surface before it
explodes into a nightmare of arcane command line instructions and obscure
text-based configuration files. The UI feels very much like a thin shell on
top of a deeply technical and difficult OS.

I have to say that the Linux community really don't know how to put together
a neat and clean user interface. As the OP says, the demos of wobbly,
transparent windows you can find on YouTube are a powerful example of how
NOT to design a user interface.

It's worth pointing out that Microsoft tried all sorts of fancy animations
and other on-screen effects in the early days of Vista, and abandoned almost
all of them after experiences in their useability labs. Just because you
CAN do something doesn't mean you should.

Linux proponents have been declaring "Linux is ready for the desktop" for
years - at least five years, and probably nearer ten. And the fact is,
Linux is still NOWHERE on the desktop (in terms of desktop machines actually
running it).

I don't understand why they bother. Linux is a superbly flexible OS for a
host of other applications, from mobile phones, NAS, web servers, and so on.
Linux is already a major success in all sorts of fields. The fact that it
just doesn't really succeed on the desktop is nothing to be ashamed of.

My PDA runs PalmOS, which is superb for its intended role. But, like LInux,
it isn't suitable for a desktop PC. Does anyone care? No, of course not.
It's horses for courses. And Linux isn't the right horse for the desktop.

I'm happy to predict that it never will be anything other than a VERY niche
desktop OS. And I don't see why the Linux community have so much difficulty
coming to terms with that.

SteveT



I have been using Ubuntu for the past 2 yrs and I haven't tried any other
distros of linux and I am not interested in them.
I do not care whether 100 people use ubuntu or a single soul like me make
use of Ubuntu, as long as it works for me thats all I am interested. It is a
fantastic OS as far as I am concerned and that is very good enough for me to
carry on using it.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Why people dont care about Linux
    ... Every single distro I've tried feels like a "box of bits" rather than ... Linux proponents have been declaring "Linux is ready for the desktop" ... I do not care whether 100 people use ubuntu or a single soul like me ... linux forums helping your fellow users? ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.vista.general)
  • Co-author needed for Linux Junkie
    ... I'm looking for a co-author to a new tome entitled, "Confessions of a Linux ... I have been an on again/off again Linux junkie for a long time and have ... and using every single distro available today. ... a commercial publisher. ...
    (alt.linux)
  • Einsteiger-Erfahrungen mit Linux
    ... abgestürzte Software und von Leasing-Verträgen, ... Linux zurückzugreifen. ... Also erstmal Ubuntu installiert. ... Sehr viel Geld fürs Betriebssystem und teure Zusatzsoftware ...
    (de.comp.os.unix.linux.misc)
  • Re: John Dvorak Speaks
    ... Too bad that piece of CRAP Ubuntu doesn't run any of the popular ... "Almost all the newest hardware coming out has Linux support. ... will now install it permanently on my latest machines. ... the work for the OS, and even so, it's at least as snappy as Windows. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.vista.general)
  • Re: John Dvorak Speaks
    ... Too bad that piece of CRAP Ubuntu doesn't run any of the popular software programs that 99.99999999% of the people on planet earth use! ... "Almost all the newest hardware coming out has Linux support. ... Ubuntu is particularly cool because the install version is also a "live" version, meaning that you can boot it and run it from a CD without installing the OS at all. ... I'm not sure how many legacy old clunkers can run this operating system, but it's the perfect reinstall for older machines that bog down under Windows. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.vista.general)